President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday revealed the Indonesian government asked the Philippines to refrain from making any statements regarding the case of death row convict Mary Jane Veloso.

“We were asked by the Indonesian government not to make any announcements until everything is settled. So, let’s respect that request,” Marcos told reporters during the inauguration of the Viaduct 3 in Pulilan, Bulacan.

The President made the remark when asked if Veloso, convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, would return home before Christmas after being in death row for 14 years.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) formally requested clemency for Veloso on September 6, 2022. She was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after authorities discovered over 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase. She was sentenced to death in the same year.

Last Friday, Indonesia and the Philippines signed an agreement to repatriate Veloso.

Indonesia's senior minister for law and human rights affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Philippine Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez signed the agreement, news reports said.

Veloso's sentence would be commuted to life imprisonment the remainder of which she will serve in the Philippines. DMS